COLFO Worried Police have Misinformed Another Minister

The Council of Licensed Firearm Owners (COLFO) says the new Police Minister, Chris Hipkins, should ask the Police for evidence on how gangs are obtaining firearms. Research previously released by COLFO from Police intelligence reports shows Police have no idea where criminals get 82% of their firearms.

COLFO Spokesperson Hugh Devereux-Mack says it’s been shown that gangs are obtaining their firearms by importing them, through home manufacture, or out of the pool of tens of thousands of illegally-owned firearms not handed in during the 2019 gun buyback.

“We know gangs have smuggled guns into the country with drugs, and Police have seized home-manufactured firearms from criminals. Gangs have a pool of guns they never handed in during the buyback, and if they do want more it’s as easy as buying a 3D printer or adding a couple to the next drug shipment.”

Additionally, a recent investigation by the National Organised Crime Group found that a man believed to be a patched member of the Head Hunters allegedly purchased guns for gang members despite having his firearms license revoked.

“Police said the man still had his license card, which he used to buy the firearms. It makes you wonder how many other gang members still have them due to sloppy firearms administration from Police.”

Deveruex-Mack says it’s obvious Police are not telling the Minister the full story, and COLFO will continue their best efforts to advise the current Police Minister of the real situation.

“COLFO wrote a letter to previous Police Minister Poto Williams in September 2021 to advise her that it had discovered Police cannot find the source of 82% of the firearms it seizes, and provided evidence that showed only 6% of seized firearms came from legal owners, with 4% being stolen from legal owners.”

Devereux-Mack says the Minister has also been ill-advised that a firearms register will solve the problem, as the serial numbers the register relies on are almost invariably removed on firearms seized from gangs.

COLFO revealed from an OIA request that Police have admitted source tracing of firearms is very difficult where seizures of firearms from gangs almost invariably have serial numbers removed.”

Devereux-Mack says the evidence shows Police have little basis for the claims they have briefed the Police Minister on, but recognises that Police failings to enforce law and order on gangs ultimately means they turn to licensed firearm owners as an easy target.

“Again, Police are choosing to target licensed firearm owners because our community of law abiding, vetted citizens is the easiest place to look. We hope the Minister seeks more answers from Police and ensures their efforts are put in the right direction.”

/ENDS

For further information contact: Hugh Devereux-Mack. 027 362 0853

In the decade of 2010-2020 the number of seized firearms was approximately 13,000. Based on the numbers from a 2015 study reported in Police intelligence summary reports 2015 (Firearms and Organised Crime: Illicit Supply, Possession and Use) and 2016 (Firearms Availability in New Zealand), about 780 would have been provided by licenced owners. OIA responses from Police show that about 300 (2%) of illegally owned firearms that police seized were found to be stolen, and were returned to their owners. Over the same 2010-2020 period there were 6,000 firearms stolen from approximately 2000 licenced owners – not even half of those were seized, showing criminals still have a large existing pool of firearms. It is clear from the number of firearms being stolen, and those recovered and identified as coming from LFOs, that there are tens of thousands of firearms illegally possessed, and most must not have originated from LFOs. 

 






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5 Responses to COLFO Worried Police have Misinformed Another Minister

  1. L. Hore says:

    I guess if the police steal more firearms from licensed firearms owners they will be able to say they have got rid of x amount of guns and the public will be safer.
    Lots of smart crims about that can make their own guns.

  2. Steve Phillips says:

    If the firearms register is implemented not only will it waste a huge amount of tax payer money that could be better spent on other things it will greatly increase the number of black and grey market guns available to fall into criminal hands. The unintended consequences of the register are too appalling to contemplate which is, I suppose, why the government and police do not want to think about them.

  3. Dr. Charlie Baycroft says:

    Does any sane person really believe that this proposed/intended firearms register will serve any useful purpose aside from a means of harassing and discriminating against non-violent, fit and proper licensed owners?

    Given the increasing disrespect and distrust of the people in this current government and it’s many “enterprises” including the police, compliance will probably be very difficult to promote and enforce.

    Our licensing system was intended to promote the safe use of firearms by responsible (fit and proper) citizens.

    Unfortunately the politically ambitious busybodies decided to abuse the system to discourage and eventually prohibit law abiding people from owning and using firearms because they don’t like guns or the people that choose to have and use them.

    Prejudiced, biased and discriminatory legislation is very detrimental because it discourages compliance and criminalizes its victims.

    The anti-gun culture within the main political parties developed and flourished because the activists of the 1970s and 80s joined and became active and influential in order to promote their ambitions and agendas.

    Responsible owners and users of firearms ought to learn from this and do the same because the real source of the problems we are faced with is not the police or the politicians.
    The real source is the small number of active and influential political party members who meet secretly to choose politicians that will represent and serve their interests.

    Trying to reason with these busybodies is futile because they believe they are entitled to force everyone else to think and act as they decide.

    The only effective way to oppose these bigoted busybodies is to become politically active and involved in their political parties and take the control of our government away from them democratically.

    Democracy is not a system that fairly serves all of the people. It is a system that only serves the people that choose the politicians that the rest of the people are allowed to vote for.

    Petitions, submissions, complaining and begging does not impress these influential party members. Joining and turning up at their secret little meetings would definitely get their attention.

    The Labour Party, for instance, had 12,000 to 15,000 subscribed members but only a small minority are active.
    Each electorate has a small group of 8 to 12 that attend the monthly meetings to decide who will represent them and what will be done.

    There are 65 electorates X 12 = 780 busybodies influencing who is in this government and what they are doing to the rest of us.

    There are over 250,000 licensed owners of firearms.

    Please do the math.

  4. Richard Hannay says:

    Bureaucrats thrive on mis-information to suit their agendas. But the public has the right to expect those upholding the law to be above deceit and deception. When I see the Mr Cahill, president of the Police Association on TV, I lose all faith in the NZ Police.

  5. Stewart Hydes says:

    I believe it’s reasonably common knowledge .. and very plausible .. that gangs and other organised crime have enough cached firearms .. to keep themselves in business, indefinitely.
    And that these caches were established as far back as post-Aromoana .. when the Thorpe Report was first published.
    And why wouldn’t they?
    Firearms are central to the modus operandi of organised crime. They are “tools of trade”. Organised criminals are .. by their very definition .. not stupid. They are not short of cash. Why wouldn’t they procure as many firearms as they thought they would ever need .. when there is such a clear and present threat to their future availability.
    And if they need more .. they will just bring them in. If you know how to get drugs past officialdom .. firearms are a cinch.
    I cannot believe people are so gullible as to continue to believe the tripe they are fed .. by the Police and a government who are determined to be be seen to be doing something .. so as to mine the votes to be had from a gullible public .. aided and abetted by a complicit media .. and all under the umbrella of a U.N. agenda …

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